My very first lucid experience was exhilarating to say the least. Now-a-days, they are still very awesome but in some ways the novelty has worn off. Rather than simply being in awe of the fact that I'm able to do it I'm more prepared to do what I have planned to do. Remaining calm certainly goes a long way towards achieving your goals.

I liken LDs to having a recording of your wildest dream, viewing said dream via virtual reality goggles and assuming any role you can muster the volition to embody. All the while, knowing that you can tweak the controls and do amazing things. That description is more cryptic than anything else but the fact is that different dreams and - in fact - different dreamers are different. Your level of control varies from dream to dream, as does your level of awareness. For example, you may be aware that you are dreaming yet still be convinced that the "world" and "characters" around you are external reality as opposed to being mere constructs of your own mind. Once you reach that level of lucidity (where you are aware that it's all in your mind) you have new doors opened to you.

One unique quality of LDs (well, all dreams) is that you have the faculty of spontaneous knowledge. By that, I mean that you may be in your "room" or "school" and you know that you are. The catch is that many times you "know" you are when, in reality, the environment may not resemble your actual bedroom or school at all. My point is that in dreams we often simply "know" rather than "find out" - as we do in real life - by taking clues from our environment. Dream knowledge is simply taken for granted.

And finally, I find that when I LD I wake up refreshed and filled with a sense of well-being and accomplishment. Never a tired awakening from an LD. At least, not for me. Lucid sleep is believed to be at least as restful as normal sleep.